The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-16
A DRAIN ON OUR PURSES.
THE PAY OF TEACHERS.
What the "Newberry Observer and
the "Columbia Record Have 10
Sav.
NelDbeTru Observer

NeDbe7Ty Observer.
Referring to the salaries fixed by the school
that this may not be so bad as 1t first appears.
On the contrary 1t may BE- an excellent Sr
We can illustrate the method by supposing
that county has 80 teachers and net school
fund Of $1,000. II the average pay OF teach.
ers be $50 month, the funds would keep The
schools open not quite fou: months; iftwenty-
five dollars q month, the schools would run
four and q half months; II twenty dollars
nearly six months; II flfteen dollars, nearly
eight months-the smaller the salary per
month, the longer the school would continue
open. 1t Is very easy for the school board OF
any county to know how many teachers are
needed for their county, and their respective
n mine, the first thing they do, how long the
schools should run. They should then ascer.
tain, US they can do pretty accurately. the
salaries. Having ascertained (D the number
and grades Of the teachers, (2 the amount OF
funds available, and (9 the length Of the
term, they can then fx the monthly salaries
They would probably find that this ar
rnngernent allows a small salary per month
for the teachers, But they must remember
| that the schools are not intended for the BEN
eft of teachers, but tor the good Of the chill
The usual way is TO decide first what the SAL
ary ought to be. and then make the school
matter, How long should the school term be?
ought 10 be the first question; and all others
should be made to conform to this.
or course this would greatly reduce, the
that portion Of their salary which comes nom
the school fund. But 1t will not reduce the
total amount the teacher receives for the
pended for teachers. II $40 month Will run
q School.four months, $40 month will run IL
eight nonths-in either case the teacher gets
get twice the amount Of schooling in one case
| that they get In the other. :
But, says one. We can't get good teachers at
$40 a month No; and we can't get good
have only $l60 for the term, is II not better for
over only four? 49,
which the News and Cnu,fer has fallen, ip say-
| ing "S20 per month, for the three 70 four
months the schools are Kept open, means q
kept open pc ssS as Il long I as the money lasts. The
higher the teachers salary the shorter the
term, and vtce versa. II, therefore, $40
month would exhaust the fund In three
In month and half or two months So
that, In the case mentioned, the salary
though not suf6cient-would be the same
whether the schools were kept open two
months or four moths-that Is the teacher
would get the same amount from the State.
It is very likely, however, that with salary
OF $50 month the schools can be kept open
longer than three or four months. There is
no doubt they can be kept open twice as
long at $40 q month as at $40 month-and
that is the Important fact
Before the war the State did not no. pay the
then. II we had good teachers whei the
State did not help US at oil, It seems that
we ought to have even better teachers II
the State pays $40 q month toward their
salary. The patrons Of the school can add
enough to what the State pays to give the
teacher sufficient salary.
1t is perfectly patent to anybody that teach
ers cannot be paid a sufficient salary for q full
school term with the school fund in order to
keep the schools going for a full term. The
usual way IL to exhaust the fund in three
or four months, by paying what the school
boards regard as q sufficient salary per
month; at the end Of that time the "free
schools" are closed and private schools are
closed and private schools are opened In the
same school-house by the same teacher. The
patrons must then pay all along through the
term, the teacher credlting the patrons with
what he gets from the public fundf This
would certainly be the better p!an-better for
the schools, better for the teachers.